We thank Masao Iwai and Lisa Osterman for discussions concerning biostratigraphic events and Frank Kyte for his input on the location of the Reunion Subchron at Site 1096. We appreciate the thorough reviews by Andy Roberts and Suzanne Beske-Diehl and the comments of the editor, Peter Barker. We thank Jim Channell for allowing us access to the paleomagnetism laboratory at the University of Florida, Jean-Pierre Valet and Vincent Courtillot for allowing us access to the paleomagnetism laboratory at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, and the staff at the Institute of Rock Magnetism at the University of Minnesota for assistance with rock magnetic measurements. This research used samples and data provided by the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP). The ODP is sponsored by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and participating countries under management of Joint Oceanographic Institutions (JOI), Inc. Funding for this research was provided by the United States Science Support Program (USSSP) (JOI/USSSP grant RF9801068RB1 at Texas A&M University).